Birmingham Friends Founded Hiking Group in 2014

Three former classmates launched the group following a friend's death to promote health and local outdoor recreation.

Updated on Oct. 3, 2026 in Hiking

Bold vector editorial illustration of three pairs of hiking boots resting on a rocky forest overlook, representing community outdoor recreation. — The Birmingham Mountain High Hikers have helped over 1,000 residents embrace an active lifestyle since the group's founding in 2014. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Three friends founded the Birmingham Mountain High Hikers on August 11, 2014, to prioritize health and brotherhood after the death of their classmate, Cedric Cole. Over the past decade, the group has successfully introduced more than 1,000 residents to the sport of hiking.

Why it matters

The group aims to increase the visibility of Black residents in outdoor recreation while fostering community bonds. Their initiative turned a shared grief into a consistent health program that encourages active lifestyles across Birmingham.

The organization has introduced more than 1,000 participants to hiking since its inception in 2014. The group maintains a consistent schedule with weekly hikes beginning every Saturday at 7 a.m.

The players

Darryl Washington

He is one of the three co-founders who established the hiking group in 2014.

Chris Lewis

He is a co-founder of the group and a former Ramsay High School teammate of the other founders.

Nathaniel Rutledge

He is a co-founder who helped initiate the weekly hiking tradition to focus on community health.

Cedric Cole

His sudden death in 2014 served as the primary motivation for his friends to start the hiking group.

Sanovia Muhammad

At age 69, she utilized the hiking group to train for her summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

The details

The founders, who were teammates at Ramsay High School in the 1980s, share hike details and meeting information via social media to coordinate their weekly outings. Participants like 69-year-old Sanovia Muhammad have utilized the group to build endurance for challenges such as scaling Mount Kilimanjaro.

The founders attended Ramsay High School together during the 1980s.
Cedric Cole died suddenly in 2014.
The founders completed their first group hike on August 11, 2014.
The group holds weekly morning hikes every Saturday.
The organization participates in the annual MLK Drum Run 5K each January.

Culture Shift

The group's mission to increase Black visibility in outdoor spaces marks a direct effort to address the documented outdoor recreation gap for Black Americans. This movement follows an established trend of grassroots organizations working to break down barriers to participation in nature.

Residents can join the weekly group hikes to improve their physical fitness through consistent outdoor exercise. The consistent schedule allows local hikers to plan their Saturday mornings around a structured and social group environment.

The takeaway

Starting a local fitness group can serve as a powerful tool for community healing and long-term health maintenance. Consistency is the primary factor in the group's success, demonstrating how small, routine actions can impact hundreds of people over a decade.